Spotlight on CVF

Foundation helps educate the voters

Davis Enterprise, October 24, 2000

Are you still confused about state propositions or wondering which candidate
to select?

Then turn to the California Voter Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization designed to improve voter and civic education and promote
Internet disclosure of campaign finanace data.

Kim Alexander, the foundation's president and founder, says the organization
was originally run through the California secretary of state's office until
it became dormant. She decided to bring the organization back to life in
1994 through the use of the Internet.

"I had been working for the Capitol, and so I had a real bird's-eye view,"
she says.

Her ideas began developing when the notion of Internet popularity was fraught
with skepticism. Still, she pursued her vision, and eventually the California
Voter Foundation caught the eye of Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith, a professor
in UC Davis' political science department who wanted to bring Internet technology
to his students.

Alexander attributed much of the foundation's current success to UCD student
interns and Davis residents, so much so that the foundation is considering
moving its operations to Davis after its lease ends.

The foundation's Web site, www.calvoter.org, has been nationally recognized
for its voter education efforts. A section titled "Follow the Money" regularly
updates the top 10 contributors to California proposition campaigns. Voters also
will find comprehensive, nonpartisan information regarding the propositions,
lists of who signed the ballot arguments, news coverage about the legislation
and links to campaign Web sites.

Plenty of information regarding presidential, Senate and local candidates
is also available.

Saskia Mills, the managing director for the foundation and a UCD graduate,
says that even if a voter waits until the last minute to learn about candidtes
and ballot measures, the foundation's Web site can still be of use.

"We design the site to allow smooth interaction, even for the day before
the elections," she says. "We have a lot of information. Our site is also
a clearinghouse for other sources...and we've helped other states with similar
projects.

"Every month or so, international visitors will visit our offices so they
can apply what they've learned in their own countries where democracy is
just getting off the ground."

Alexander says she has always seen the foundation's role as being on "the
cutting edge of technology" and to act as a catalyst for future voter education.
The organization is heavily involved with Digital Sunlight, a project that
honors various Web sites for publicizing federal and state-level campaign
finance data.

"We're setting higher expectations for government agencies," Alexander says.
"And we do that by proving it can be done. For example, 25 percent of campaign
contributions come in the last two weeks before the election, and the only
way to retrieve campaign data in the past was to go to the secretary of state's
office and leaf through the paperwork, which is like trying to find a needle
in a haystack.

"What we've provided has been a breakthrough," she continued. "Today, campaign
contributors need to be disclosed within 24 hours. We (the foundation) see
ourselves as innovators. We show that things can be done and they can be
sustained."

Being a nonprofit organization is a distinct advantage when it comes to
promoting voter education, Alexander says. The Web site contains no advertising,
no registration requirements, no cookies, and no data to sell, something
Alexander called a "welcome reprieve."

Mills added that the real benefit of the site is the new attitudes citizens
gain about voting.

"For many voters, it's a combination of apathy and being too busy, which
can be a vicious cycle," she says. "And people are cynical...but (the California
Voter Foundation doesn't) have an agenda. Our site is easy to use and it's
available 24 hours a day.

"One of the most satisfying things is hearing someone say, 'I've been
voting for 25 years, and I've never felt this prepared.' If you don't have
the time,
it's not too late. This is a great resource for busy people."